head to head
vs
Days GonevsThe Last of Us
Days Gone leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); The Last of Us leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Days GoneThe Last of Us
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 1
The Last of Us leans harder on reads: Enemy AI searches but follows mappable routines
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 5
Days Gone leans harder on optimization: horde routing, traps, and gear prep decide fights
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.